Over the years, Mayra Santos (@mayrasantosswimmer) has done many swims in Portugal’s Madeira Islands.
- In 2024, she completed an unprecedented two-way crossing between Santa Cruz island to Deserta Grande in 20 hours 53 minutes
- In 2023, she pioneered a 32 km circumnavigation swim around Porto Santo in 11 hours 19 minutes
- In 2023, she competed in the Ultra Oceanman 30k from Calheta to Funchal in Madeira in 9 hours 37 minutes
- In 2021, she completed the 30 km Madeira Island Ultra Swim between Calheta and Funchal in 9 hours 7 minutes 1 second
- In 2021, she completed a 20 km crossing between Porto Moniz and Ponta Delgada in the Madeira Islands in 6 hours 25 minutes
- In 2021, she completed a 17 km crossing between Ponta do Pargo and Porto Moniz in the Madeira Islands in 5 hours 37 minutes
- In 2020, she completed the 30 km Madeira Island Ultra Swim between Calheta and Funchal in 10 hours 13 minutes
- In 2020, she set a world record for the Longest Continuous Swim in a Counter Current Pool in Caniço on Madeira Island in 31 hours 7 minutes
- In 2019, she completed a 42 km crossing between Porto Santo and Ponta de São Lourenço on Madeira Island in 12 hours 7 minutes
Originally born in Minas Gerais, Brazil where she did her first open water swim of 1.5 km, she has since established her niche and fueled her passion.
Most recently, she co-founded the Madeira Open Water Swim (@swimmadeira) that offers swimming holiday tours, training sessions, swim camps, channel crossings, and special events in Madeira.
Santos explained, “Madeira Open Water Swim is exclusive, transformative, and designed for those who know that swimming is about much more than counting strokes.” The Madeira Islands is a Portuguese archipelago located in the north Atlantic Ocean, west and slightly south of Portugal, that includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas, administered together with the separate archipelago of the Savage Islands. It is an outermost region of the European Union.
June Schedule
- 21–27 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 23 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
- 25 | Farol da Ponta do Pargo Swim Trip | Special Edition
July Schedule
- 8–12 | Swim Camp Porto Santo | Private Tour
- 19–25 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 21 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
- 23 | Farol da Ponta do Pargo Swim Trip | Special Edition
August Schedule
- 9–15 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 12 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
- 14 | Farol da Ponta do Pargo Swim Trip | Special Edition
September Schedule
- 10–16 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 21–27 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 22 | Farol da Ponta do Pargo Swim Trip | Special Edition
- 23 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
October Schedule
- 5–12 | Swim Camp Madeira + Porto Santo | NEW | Available
- 17–23 | Swim Camp Madeira | Available
- 6 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
November Schedule
- 1 | Desertas Swim Trip | Special Edition
December Schedule
- 26 | III São Silvestre do Mar SwimMadeira | Special Edition
The Mayra Santos dolls were stitched together by her mother. For more information, email info@swimmadeira.com
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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